Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Brittany Hancy
TH 101
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Play Review
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard was a play about two minor characters who were involved in the play Hamlet by Shakespeare. From the opening act of flipping the coins repeatedly, you could tell as an audience member that the play was going to be very amusing and comedic due to the performances of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. As the show started, it was apparent that the costumes were created to represent those of the time when the play was set. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s outfits fit that of their character and personality and assisted in setting the main scene because there were not a lot of props. This aspect of design is somewhat helpful to understand and follow the storyline, to an extent, for those of us who have never read or seen any version of the play Hamlet before. The music that opened the show was also a nice indication for the audience of the era that this play was set in. There were many aids to suggest the time period without having to know too much background information. The play itself was funny and had quite a few jokes connected to those of modern times that the audience could understand and possibly relate to. Although it is not clear at the beginning of the play, the location of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern later becomes apparent when their mission is made clear. The language back in the era of Shakespeare is much different than that of the modern era. It becomes a challenge for the audience to follow what is being said when the play is being performed hundreds of years later when the present language has changed and advanced incredibly in many various ways. The audience consisted of people of several different ages, which also challenged the barrier of understanding what was said; those who are older may recognize certain references and words more than those who are teens and young adults who have not been introduced to such
TH 101
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Play Review
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard was a play about two minor characters who were involved in the play Hamlet by Shakespeare. From the opening act of flipping the coins repeatedly, you could tell as an audience member that the play was going to be very amusing and comedic due to the performances of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. As the show started, it was apparent that the costumes were created to represent those of the time when the play was set. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s outfits fit that of their character and personality and assisted in setting the main scene because there were not a lot of props. This aspect of design is somewhat helpful to understand and follow the storyline, to an extent, for those of us who have never read or seen any version of the play Hamlet before. The music that opened the show was also a nice indication for the audience of the era that this play was set in. There were many aids to suggest the time period without having to know too much background information. The play itself was funny and had quite a few jokes connected to those of modern times that the audience could understand and possibly relate to. Although it is not clear at the beginning of the play, the location of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern later becomes apparent when their mission is made clear. The language back in the era of Shakespeare is much different than that of the modern era. It becomes a challenge for the audience to follow what is being said when the play is being performed hundreds of years later when the present language has changed and advanced incredibly in many various ways. The audience consisted of people of several different ages, which also challenged the barrier of understanding what was said; those who are older may recognize certain references and words more than those who are teens and young adults who have not been introduced to such